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You’ve done all the right things: taken care of deferred maintenance, spruced up the paint, super cleaned and decluttered. Advertising is in place, agents have visited to preview, but you haven’t had any showings. What’s the problem?

Ideally, every seller hopes that they will have the house ready to sell and immediately get a call for a showing that then turns into the new owner of the home in 45 days. One and done! What could be better? That’s the ideal, but it is quite rarely the reality.

If your house is ready to show and has been properly marketed, then there is only one reason that you are not getting showings. Before we get to that reason, what does “properly marketed” mean. Marketing is now a specifically targeted activity that produces measurable results. The goal of marketing a house is to create awareness and get attention. Think of it as a formula:

Awareness + Attention = Showings & Offers

There are many ways to market a house that produces measurable results. Some of the more traditional methods, like print advertising in newspapers, flyers on sign posts and similar means are less effective because it is very difficult to capture the prospective buyer and provide follow up. Without the ability to measure response the advertising effort is essentially wasted. Fortunately, the the internet has grown up to such an extent that it makes targeted marketing relatively easy.

Think of how often you are surfing the internet and all of a sudden an ad appears that is just like the thing you were recently looking to buy. That’s targeted marketing and that’s what gets your house the Awareness that leads to the Attention it deserves.

If you have the Awareness and Attention but not the showings that lead to offers, then it all comes down to price. Now here’s another thing to consider, time and price are very closely related. If you are committed to moving relatively quickly, your house needs to be priced accordingly. If your house is unusual, has challenges (like undesirable neighbors, other neighborhood problems, etc) then you will likely need to be listed below what would otherwise be fair market value in order to get the Attention to turn into Showings and Contracts.

If you want to learn more about how a pinpoint price analysis can help you do this, call or text 661.375.7325 or email Sally@YourRealAdvantage.com to schedule your no-cost no-obligation consultation today.

Are you wondering whether now is a good time to sell your home? Maybe you are thinking about downsizing because all the kids have moved away or upsizing as your family grows? Either way there are several things that are truly important when it comes to getting your home sold quickly.

1. Clean, clean, clean!

There’s a huge difference in living in a clean house and in living in a house that has been cleaned to sell. When looking at a home, all the corners where that tiny bit of dust has accumulated on the baseboard, the edge of the wall the dog leans against, the slight water stain on the shower door are some of the things that will subconsciously lead a buyer to think that the home has not been well-maintained.

The key here is that these tiny things create a subliminal message to a buyer that they don’t even notice. Will a buyer purchase a house that is not spotlessly clean? Of course they will but it will take longer to get it sold and the house will sell for less money.

2. Paint

Customized rooms with extremely bright or dark colored paint, wallpaper, or wall fixtures can make a house feel like a home for the current homeowner, but often can be a turn off for home buyers. You want a buyer focused on the house itself, so painting in neutral colors will keep them from focusing on the decor and direct them instead to the floor plan and room sizes. An added benefit is that fresh paint makes the house look clean and well-maintained.

If you already have a single neutral wall color, consider painting the trim to freshen the look. Doorways tend to show paint wear faster than other areas because of the higher traffic.

3. Budget Minded Kitchen Updates

Maybe you always planned to overhaul the kitchen or bathroom with a major remodel but never found the time. There are some small, inexpensive changes that can be done. Replacing the hardware on cabinets, upgrading light switches, and changing outlet covers are a few examples. Let’s go a little further and change out the beat-up looking trash compactor for a pull-out trash drawer or a wine fridge. Do you have a giant fluorescent light fixture in the ceiling framed in oak? Take a look under the diffuser panels and see how easy it would be to remove that and turn it into an interesting and updated light fixture.

4. Bathroom Updates

Like the kitchen, simple updates make a difference. Light switches, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures can change the entire feel of the space.

5. Curb Appeal

Remember to take a close look at the outside of the house too. Here’s another opportunity to clean it up! Even if the paint is in good condition, make sure that it is also clean. Wash the house to remove dust from the siding. Make the windows sparkling clean both inside and out, tidy up the landscaping and draw the buyer to the front door.

These are just a few ideas that make it easier to sell your home faster for more money. If you want more specifics for your own home, just call 661-375-7325 for an expert no-cost, no-obligation consultation.

Because you found value in these ideas, why not share this post with your friends?

As a new year begins, many folks are making resolutions about how this year will be different than last year. One of the popular resolutions each year is to save money.

What’s important about saving money to you? Thinking about a vacation, a new car, or buying a home? No matter what’s important to you, these tips can help with the savings.

So let’s look at the top five easy ways to save money in the new year:

Change your smoke alarm and CO detector batteries. The generally accepted advice was to do this task when switching two and from Daylight Savings time. That would have you changing the batteries twice each year. Current batteries typically last 18 months, so by changing them once each year you save several dollars and some time. If you are disciplined enough you could even set a calendar reminder to do it every 14 months or so and save even more.

Keep in mind that newly purchased smoke alarms will most likely be of the 10 year non-replaceable battery type. That means the task of changing batteries for those devices won’t even exist.

Change your lightbulbs. If you’re still using old-fashioned incandescent bulbs — those are the ones that Thomas Edison invented — it’s time to make a change! Those bulbs are the most expensive kind to operate. Consider replacing them with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs) or LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).

CFLs are less expensive to purchase, but they don’t provide full brightness immediately when you turn them on.

LEDs cost more to purchase but virtually never need to be replaced and are the least expensive to operate. LEDs provide full brightness as soon as you turn them on.

Adjust the temperature on your water heater. Setting the water heater to a lower temperature reduces the amount of time the water heater has to run in order to maintain the temperature in the tank.

A 10℉ reduction in temperature can save 3 to 5% on your water heating costs. It will also reduce the likelihood of scalding injuries.

Wash your clothes on cold. Not only does this save money because you are not paying to heat the water for washing, it saves wear on the hot water heater and on your clothing fibers. It’s a win-win-win for savings.

Get rid of cable. Cut the cable cord and save money on entertainment. Consider using streaming services to watch only what you want. Use the time saved to do something fun or educational.

Saving money is always a good idea. Today, I want to share a tip with you to save money on starting fires in your fireplace or wood-stove. Take a look at the short video to find out how.

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to watch out for expensive purchases that I don’t really need. I found that last year, some of the smaller items I buy on a regular basis really add up. Here it is wintertime, although it hasn’t felt too much like it so far this year. Even so, if you enjoy having a fire, you may have used one of those fire starter logs to start your fire. I just picked one up today and it cost almost $3. So, in the spirit of cutting out unnecessary expenses, here’s a neat way I heard about to cut back on the cost of fire starter bricks and those fire starter logs. You’re going to love this since not only are you saving money, but you’re recycling stuff you are probably throwing away.

All you have to do is save your empty toilet paper rolls and your dryer lint. Yes, your dryer lint. Sounds kind of crazy but it really works well! Then, take the lint and roll it into a little tube shape and then stuff it inside the cardboard from the toilet paper roll. This lint is super flammable and lights up instantly and the cardboard from the roll holds the flame long enough to get your kindling and wood started. Imagine how much you’re going to save. I mean, those fire starter logs are about $3 each, so you do the math. The savings will add up quickly.

If you’re looking to get into a new home, maybe one with a fireplace so you can try this tip, you’ll want to find out what your options are for saving some money. That’s where my team and I can help. We love to help people get into the home of their dreams and love to help you save money in the process. Just give us a call to discuss your options and we’ll be more than happy to help you!

Make sure you try out this week’s tip. I know you’ll like it. Don’t forget to forward this along to anyone you think might be interested in saving money — whether it’s in the fireplace , or buying their new home or selling their existing house.